The facility known colloquially as “The Psych,” which two decades ago was in danger of disappearing entirely amid provincial restructuring, now employs 431 people and serves approximately 1,300 clients, both inside the 163-bed site that includes a secure treatment unit (STU) and forensic treatment unit (FTU), and outside its walls through outpatient and outreach programs.

Wednesday’s 125th anniversary event included clients, families and community partners.

Once known as the Eastern Hospital for the Insane and, more recently, the Brockville Psychiatric Hospital, the site was marked for closure in 1999 by the Health Services Restructuring Commission. However, it endured in a reduced form, and the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care transferred it to the Royal Ottawa Health Care Group in 2000. The Royal renamed it the Brockville Mental Health Centre in 2006.

Asked about the BMHC’s long-term prospects, The Royal’s president and CEO, Joanne Bezzubetz, said management is looking at redeveloping the site and modernizing its forensics facilities.

“It would require a lot of buy-in from those who fund infrastructure,” said Bezzubetz.

“I think we’d be looking at a slightly larger footprint.”

Any redevelopment would be done over a five-to-10-year horizon.

The BMHC operates on a reduced portion of the sprawling former BPH site, and the FTU in particular is not purpose-built, said Bezzubetz.

“We’ve done the best that we can,” she added, but it would be better to have a building more in keeping with other forensic facilities in the province.

“This is quite preliminary and at this point in time it’s an idea that’s very exciting,” she said.

Esther Millar, The Royal’s vice-president of patient care services and chief nursing executive, said BMHC staffers are good at adapting to their circumstances but could use better facilities.

“Because we’re so confined by our building, there’s some new programming and activities that we want to do but we can’t,” said Millar.

She gave the example of automated dispensing units for medication, which can’t be used in the existing space.

And a newer building would definitely be safer for staff, added Millar.

“We know we can do so much more,” she said.

Seeking and securing provincial funding would be the first step, said Anne Graham, chairwoman of The Royal’s board of trustees.

“There’s so much uncertainty right now in the health care system,” said Graham.

“We’ve got a lot of reality to deal with in terms of getting from here to there.”

The anniversary event, centered on the Centennial Hall facility, featured tours of the BMHC campus, information booths, fun activities and a special presentation on mental hygiene, titled “The Happy Brain,” by Guillaume Tremblay, a nurse practitioner and member of the BMHC team.

BMHC staff highlighted some of the innovative work done at the Brockville site, including a “functional script” tool meant to capture each patient’s recovery goals and map out the steps to achieve them.

“The spirit of innovation is alive and well in Brockville,” Graham told the crowd in her opening remarks.

Dr. Sanjiv Gulati, The Royal’s associate chief for Brockville, reflected on his 10 years at the BMHC, in particular the experiences of its patients.

“They inspire me to be a better doctor and learn from them,” he said.

Bezzubetz told the crowd collaborating with community partners has always been critical as the BMHC wants to function as a “hospital without walls.”

That includes the concept of community-based recovery.

“Brockville has been uniquely receptive to the integration of clients back into the community,” said Bezzubetz.